Price
$114 per iron
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Why We Like It
- Through weighting, center-of-gravity placement and relatively weaker lofts, the irons provide the kind of launch-angle boost slower swingers need.
- The variable-thickness face was inspired by Cobra’s driver. By tweaking the thickness and size of each “zone,” ball speed can be optimized across the face.
- The lightweight Air-X starts with a cast head that is two grams lighter and a 41-gram grip that is six grams lighter. Saving eight grams makes the club easier to swing faster.
- Helping boost ball speed is a variable-thickness face that is thinner in the heel and toe to promote extra yards on off-center strikes.
- A more upright lie angle in the long irons makes it easier to square the club at impact, and heel-bias weighting promotes a slight draw bias.
- Helping bolster launch is a low-profile head with a deep undercut cavity, offset hosel and wide sole that help lower the center of gravity.
- Top 5 in Forgiveness, high-handicaps.
- 7-iron: 30 degrees; 43.5 degrees
what our testers said
handicap
- all
- low
- mid
- high
Gary
37, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
I like the proportions of the club and it had great overall balance. I'd call these a very understated but quality performer. The offset took the right side out of play but they were not overly hooky. They just give you what you need.
Alejandra
26, Handicap 5
4 years testing
This has a subtle look, even the logo stamping is discrete. I got a soft feel at impact, like a pillow, but it sounds like a loud crack. They were easy to get in the air and I hit the same shot shape over and over, but I couldn't maintain consistent distance.
Ryan
49, Handicap 10
7 years testing
There was no standout feature, but that's not a bad thing. It did the job. The high shots were not going super high and the lows were not super low. Control-wise, there weren't wild dispersions, but there wasn't any extra distance in it.
Alex
40, Handicap 11
6 years testing
The short irons were magnificent but the long irons were significantly less forgiving. That said, my best hits were absolute rockets. I like the slim profile. It inspires confidence at setup. I got through the ground on some thicker strikes, so it was more forgiving up and down versus left and right.
Daniel
33, Handicap 12
5 years testing
Impact felt soft, like the ball was overpowering the club—not enough feedback. A plus for me was that mis-hits were not losing much on distance or trajectory. You got playable results and it never felt like you were missing it.
SEE ALL (11)
Gary
37, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
I like the proportions of the club and it had great overall balance. I'd call these a very understated but quality performer. The offset took the right side out of play but they were not overly hooky. They just give you what you need.
Alejandra
26, Handicap 5
4 years testing
This has a subtle look, even the logo stamping is discrete. I got a soft feel at impact, like a pillow, but it sounds like a loud crack. They were easy to get in the air and I hit the same shot shape over and over, but I couldn't maintain consistent distance.
Ryan
49, Handicap 10
7 years testing
There was no standout feature, but that's not a bad thing. It did the job. The high shots were not going super high and the lows were not super low. Control-wise, there weren't wild dispersions, but there wasn't any extra distance in it.
Alex
40, Handicap 11
6 years testing
The short irons were magnificent but the long irons were significantly less forgiving. That said, my best hits were absolute rockets. I like the slim profile. It inspires confidence at setup. I got through the ground on some thicker strikes, so it was more forgiving up and down versus left and right.
Daniel
33, Handicap 12
5 years testing
Impact felt soft, like the ball was overpowering the club—not enough feedback. A plus for me was that mis-hits were not losing much on distance or trajectory. You got playable results and it never felt like you were missing it.
Matt
52, Handicap 11
3 years testing
I got great accuracy and a lot of forgiveness out of this traditional-looking iron. It moved well through the turf and got the ball up in the air and straight to the target. The 5-iron gave me too much help in that it was extra floaty. It had average distance, but more importantly, it's consistent and my shots were predictable.
Jin
30, Handicap 13
1 year testing
For me, the ball starts low but then rises, hitting my target distance with ease. It had a satisfying cracking sound at impact and didn't ever get stuck in the turf. I don't like the variety of colors on the iron, but it's a very consistent, forgiving club.
Wei
54, Handicap 13
9 years testing
My first impression was that I didn't like how long the blade looked, but once I started hitting these, I never noticed it again. That's because my loose swings had very similar trajectory with just a slight loss of distance and the direction was spot on. I could see falling in love with these. So forgiving and tons of control. I was able to move it in both directions.
John
55, Handicap 11
1 year testing
There's a lot going on with the design—especially the colors. Because of their design, I almost felt like I needed to swing it like a hybrid.
Shane
36, Handicap 15
5 years testing
I could generate a ton of speed with these. I felt like the club was racing to the ball. Impact was light and crisp. It was a crack or a snap at impact, like the sound of a gun at the starting line. And then the ball began racing away.
Ryan
46, Handicap 14
2 years testing
It performed more like a game-improvement iron and looked like one, too, with a more rounded look and hiding the topline. I like that. I had confidence over the ball, and it gave me a good turf interaction and a great ball flight. I just kept hitting them straight. What's not to like?
Gary
37, Handicap 13
10+ years testing
I like the proportions of the club and it had great overall balance. I'd call these a very understated but quality performer. The offset took the right side out of play but they were not overly hooky. They just give you what you need.
Daniel
33, Handicap 12
5 years testing
Impact felt soft, like the ball was overpowering the club—not enough feedback. A plus for me was that mis-hits were not losing much on distance or trajectory. You got playable results and it never felt like you were missing it.
Jin
30, Handicap 13
1 year testing
For me, the ball starts low but then rises, hitting my target distance with ease. It had a satisfying cracking sound at impact and didn't ever get stuck in the turf. I don't like the variety of colors on the iron, but it's a very consistent, forgiving club.
Wei
54, Handicap 13
9 years testing
My first impression was that I didn't like how long the blade looked, but once I started hitting these, I never noticed it again. That's because my loose swings had very similar trajectory with just a slight loss of distance and the direction was spot on. I could see falling in love with these. So forgiving and tons of control. I was able to move it in both directions.
Shane
36, Handicap 15
5 years testing
I could generate a ton of speed with these. I felt like the club was racing to the ball. Impact was light and crisp. It was a crack or a snap at impact, like the sound of a gun at the starting line. And then the ball began racing away.
Ryan
46, Handicap 14
2 years testing
It performed more like a game-improvement iron and looked like one, too, with a more rounded look and hiding the topline. I like that. I had confidence over the ball, and it gave me a good turf interaction and a great ball flight. I just kept hitting them straight. What's not to like?
Ryan
49, Handicap 10
7 years testing
There was no standout feature, but that's not a bad thing. It did the job. The high shots were not going super high and the lows were not super low. Control-wise, there weren't wild dispersions, but there wasn't any extra distance in it.
Alex
40, Handicap 11
6 years testing
The short irons were magnificent but the long irons were significantly less forgiving. That said, my best hits were absolute rockets. I like the slim profile. It inspires confidence at setup. I got through the ground on some thicker strikes, so it was more forgiving up and down versus left and right.
Matt
52, Handicap 11
3 years testing
I got great accuracy and a lot of forgiveness out of this traditional-looking iron. It moved well through the turf and got the ball up in the air and straight to the target. The 5-iron gave me too much help in that it was extra floaty. It had average distance, but more importantly, it's consistent and my shots were predictable.
John
55, Handicap 11
1 year testing
There's a lot going on with the design—especially the colors. Because of their design, I almost felt like I needed to swing it like a hybrid.
Alejandra
26, Handicap 5
4 years testing
This has a subtle look, even the logo stamping is discrete. I got a soft feel at impact, like a pillow, but it sounds like a loud crack. They were easy to get in the air and I hit the same shot shape over and over, but I couldn't maintain consistent distance.
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Range Results
We tracked 27,000 shots through player testing and then had them analyzed by our team of scientists. These graphics reflect the relative performance our players saw for each club in the category.
Surviving The Hot List: Celebrity Intern
From the Manufacturer
Cobra Air-X
Featuring a lightweight construction and an all-new H.O.T. Face insert, the AIR-X irons are designed to help golfers with smooth tempos generate increased club speed and distance.
justinkosman.com
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Callaway used AI analysis of average-golfer impact points to selectively thin areas on the face to maximize ball speed. The face also wraps around the topline, sole and toe to further widen the springlike effect.
A metal-injection-molding process fashions the internal tungsten weighting to better position the center of gravity.
That weight is encased in urethane microspheres that helps deliver a soft feel.
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The hollow-body, hybrid-style iron is designed to help golfers get the ball in the air. The irons feature a variable-thickness face and oversize heads.
Grooves that stretch across the face improve launch conditions for shots hit outside the typical groove area by providing more spin consistency.
Also on the face is a blast called “HydraZip” along with a laser-milled-line system designed to create additional roughness to enhance friction. Combined they increase the launch-angle benefit, which this player type needs.
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Cobra
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Most of the same technical features of the DS-Adapt irons are used here but with a longer blade length, thicker topline, more offset and a wider sole—all things that are highly useful to players in this category.
Feedback from clubfitters that weaker-lofted irons benefit less skilled golfers resulted in lofts here that are about 2 degrees higher than other irons in this category.
Concentrating weight low and back is key to achieving easier launch and more speed. That’s accomplished via a steel weighting system inside the head that gets weight in the proper position while allowing maximum flexing of the face.
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High-strength chromoly 4140M steel is used for the face. The hitting area is thinned around the perimeter, increasing rebound for maximum ball speed.
The wide sole teams with tungsten weighting low in the head of the 4- through 7-iron to help golfers get the ball up in the air.
Internal ribs are used to provide a softer feel yet explosive sound at impact.
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An enhanced metalwood-style variable-thickness face uses a special heat treatment to allow thinning of the 17-4 stainless-steel.
The large head and wide sole offer increased stability and instill confidence.
The rear badge is a 10-piece construction that uses two plastics and has five bending regions to assist face flex for higher launch and a steeper landing angle.
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TaylorMade
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The multi-material cap back is lighter than the steel it replaces and wraps around the high-toe area. The reduced weight in that area makes it easier to square the club at impact, reducing the chance of hitting a slice.
The center of gravity is lower in the long irons to boost trajectory and progressively rises, allowing for controllable short-iron shots that don’t balloon.
The irons feature extreme heel-toe weighting to provide stability across a wide swath of the clubface.
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Yonex
EZone GT
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An L-shaped maraging-steel face wraps around part of the sole. The steel is durable, allowing it to be made thin to easily flex. This creates more speed and helps launch shots higher in lofts that are extremely strong.
The hollow-body construction uses forged S45C steel for a soft feel. The face actually uses two steels (one for the main irons and another for the gap and sand wedges).
The irons use a graphite back plate and stabilizer bar that allow the face to bend while maintaining an acceptable sound and feel.
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Cobra
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An excellent choice for players more concerned with how many good shots they hit during a round than their score.
Designed using AI, the forged face insert uses stainless steel in a variable-thickness pattern that increases the area of the sweet spot.
Fifteen zones range in thickness from 2 to 2.2 millimeters. The result is a face that is slightly larger but doesn’t weigh more.
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PXG
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The set uses a 6-hybrid then 7-iron through sand wedge. All are designed with a large amount of offset and a bigger overall profile—perfect for the beginner or occasional player looking for a club that’s easy to hit.
The irons have a hollow body filled with a polymer for feel and rebound. The outer cavity badge has a weight-saving insert. The mass saved is relocated to the perimeter for improved forgiveness.
As with all PXG irons, the face insert is made from HT1770 maraging steel and is razor thin at just .05 of an inch. That and the channels around the perimeter provide a chest-puffing trampoline effect.
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Tour Edge
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$130 per iron
A new entry in the Exotics family takes the company’s all-time best-selling iron-wood concept and turns it into an ultra-premium Exotics version.
The diamond face with its three shapes and thicknesses boosts speed, particularly on off-center strikes, and uses less weight that allows for a deeper center of gravity.
The shallower clubhead, thicker topline and additional offset all work together to help golfers get the ball in the air while minimizing the tendency to slice.
11 / 12
Wilson
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This is an all-iron set (as opposed to the hybrid-like Launch Pad model).
Wilson used analytical tools to develop its first ever cupface construction in which the face wraps around the topline and sole to get more distance in a pleasing look.
Mass was added to the topline to improve stability. This delivered better results on strikes caught high on the face while helping to mute the sound.
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XXIO
13
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$157 per iron
These irons use a titanium face plate that is thinner for greater flexing.
An L-shaped internal groove etched deep into the interior of the iron’s stainless-steel body further enhances spring, especially for shots struck low on the face.
In clubs up to the 7-iron, 31 grams of tungsten are used to drive the center of gravity low and back, fostering a high ball flight to optimize carry distance.